Trouble has been caused for a Tanzanian truck driver by the smuggling of used handbags and secondhand clothing into Zambia.
Mamza Msengi has been ordered by the Ndola magistrate court to pay more than K300,000 to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) as a result of his activities, which were considered to have defrauded the government.
Additionally, Msengi was fined and given a default custodial sentence of nine months in jail, so he will also need to pay K10,000.
The specifics of the violation were that the convict robbed the Zambian government of K304,223.00 on unspecified dates between November 20 and December 31, 2022.
Msengi informed border officials at the Nakonde Border that the cargo he was transporting was on its way to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) via the Sakania border in Ndola.
“Seals for the transit goods were placed on the said truck by Zambia Revenue Authority and allowed to proceed. However, he removed the seals in Ndola and trans-shipped the consignment onto another unknown truck,” ZRA Corporate Communications Manager Oliver Nzala said in a statement.
In order to avoid paying the transit bond after transshipping the shipment, the driver faked the seals on an empty container and drove to the Sakania Border. He did this under the guise that the truck was loaded with the shipment that was declared at the border in order to avoid paying the transit bond.
“Alert ZRA Customs officers conducted a physical inspection of the truck and discovered that it was not carrying any goods as the goods had been trans-shipped onto another truck in Ndola,” Nzala said.
Msengi entered a guilty plea in front of Magistrate Jennipher Bwalya.
He was also asked to remit the K304,223.00 in tax that had been evaded in addition to paying a K 10,000 fine.
“The Zambia Revenue Authority strives to detect and disrupt tax evasion schemes and prosecute criminals who engage in smuggling of goods through our borders to ensure that all individuals pay their fair share of customs duty and the right amount of taxes are paid to the government,” Nzala said.
